Government spending on school buildings has plunged by more than 40 per cent since the Conservatives came to power, according to Labour.

Capital spending has slumped by £3.5 billion since 2010-11, the party’s analysis of the IFS Green Budget data found, down from £8.8 billion to £5.2 billion this financial year.

Labour released the figures just days before the new Budget in a bid to pressure chancellor Philip Hammond to “end austerity in education”.

The party is calling for the Treasury to find £1 billion to end cuts to per pupil funding - which has fallen 8 per cent per pupil since 2010 - and meet teacher pay increases.

Labour is also pushing for more than £5.7 billion of spending next financial year to reverse cuts to school, adult and further education, and support for deprived children.

“It is simply not acceptable that thousands of our children are learning in schools and classrooms that are leaking and crumbling around them,” said shadow education secretary Angela Rayner.

“To end austerity in education, the government must stop any further cuts to funding for our schools and cough up the money to reverse the huge cuts it has already made to schools, adult and further education and Sure Start.”

Recent research by Tes and the Association of School and College Leaders found that more than two-thirds of England’s schools have buildings that are “not fit for purpose”.

Most of the 221 heads surveyed reported their teaching were being forced to work in buildings with leaks, crumbling walls and asbestos issues.

Nearly nine out of 10 said funding pressures have also forced them to cut routine building maintenance, storing up further problems for the future.  

Official analysis has found that an estimated 60 per cent of England’s more than 21,000 state-funded schools were built before 1976.

The Department for Education predicted last year that “the condition of the school estate will worsen as it cannot fund all the maintenance and improvement work required”.

A DfE spokeswoman said: “To ensure the school estate is safe and supports a high-quality education, we have committed £23 billion over 2016-21. In addition, our priority school building programme is rebuilding and refurbishing over 500 school buildings in the worst condition across the country.

“The priority school building programme is better value for money and rebuilding and refurbishing schools at a faster rate than under the previous programme, which is more beneficial for the children and staff who work and study in these schools.

“A new school condition data collection, due to complete in autumn 2019, will provide an update of the condition of state funded schools in England, so that we can carry on targeting funding.”